A/N: I decided to change a part in the previous chapter so I suggest you go back and read the last chapter again. You dont have to in order to read this one but it will help later in the story.
Hadley's POV
The past few months have been difficult, grieving the loss of my daughter was a feeling that I knew all too well every moment of the day while I tried everything I could to distract myself from it even through none of it proved useful, not even Klaus.
We had admitted our feelings for one another but that didn't change anything since we still barely spoke, we barely interacted and I barely stayed at the Abattoir, the only time I returned there was distract myself by stupidly engaging in grief-sex with Klaus as that was as far as our interactions went.
After the Guerrera wolves took control and after I hadn't heard from Hayley and Jackson so I spent a lot of my time out in the bayou trying to find them but the crescent wolves were nowhere to be seen...well aside from the ones that had followed Oliver into slavery for some witch and while that worried me about their safety I was also feeling abandoned especially by Jackson since he was supposed to be my brother but he was nowhere even though I spent my near every waking moment looking for them in wolf form but always came up with nothing and I was tired of looking.
I padded my way to the old bayou shack which had seen better days but was in shambles after the bayou bombs and pulled my clothes off the nearby clotheslines slipping back into them before I walked towards the shack feeling nostalgic but stopped when I noticed something on the ground and frowned kneeling down to pick up the small doll seeing one side of it was burnt and black feeling a lone tear slide down my cheek from the sadness of the bombs and thinking about my daughter.
I put the doll back down wiping away my tears standing upright looking around the chaos of the mess feeling like I was lost, I didn't know what I was supposed to do anymore I was just sick and tired of doing nothing but I knew I wasn't going to find the crescents, they knew this bayou a lot better than I did and if Hayley is with them then I wasn't going to find her either so it was time to give up.
I started the long trek back into the city stopping at the memorial and kissed my hand before touching the plague for my daughter letting a few tears slip down my face, it wasn't all for show but it was to convince Francesca and her wolves that we were grieving before I continued towards the compound immediately heading up the stairs to my room where I heard someone already was and stepped into the nursery with wide eyes seeing Elijah was taking the crib apart and packing away the toys and blankets.
"What do you think your doing?!" I demanded glaring at him.
"Welcome back, what is it the third night this week?" he remarked and I hardened my glare.
"I don't need a caretaker, hybrids are invincible right?" I shrugged crossing my arms across my chest. "What are you doing, Elijah?"
"As we have discussed, our illusion needs to be flawless now months have passed, it's the appropriate time"
"What's next on the 'appropriate' list?" I scoffed shaking my head. "Klaus and I hold our heads up high and say we're ready to try again?" I asked him.
"I understand this is difficult for you-"
"What's difficult is knowing that Francesca Guerrera is still breathing after she was the one who plotted with the witches to kill my baby" I exclaimed cutting him off.
"You will have your vengeance, I promise you this Hadley" I glared at him since I didn't care about his promises, they were worthless.
"Well until then this is my room and I'll tell you when it's appropriate to clean it out" I snapped ripping the slats from the crib out of his hands then moved aside letting him know to get the hell out and after a few seconds of hesitation he wanted out and left me alone.
I spent the next thirty minutes returning the nursery to the way it was tidying it up feeling a few tears slip out in the process, I was tired of crying but I couldn't stop...there was no handbook on how to deal with giving your baby away and pretending that she was dead but I was not ready to remove this space, this was hers and she never even got to spend a night...I looked up when I heard voices downstairs instantly recognizing Klaus's meaning he's returned to the compound and I frowned when I heard what they were talking about.
"We have the Guerreras where we want them, we have them waiting, we have them worried and now we know they're an army with no defenses against an Original"
"We don't know that for certain" Elijah protested to Klaus's faith in that matter.
"I'm willing to gamble"
"It's too risky, the stake didn't just disappear someone has it"
"One enemy at a time, in the end we'll slay them all" Klaus replied before I heard him take a shuddered breath and knew he was feeling one of the moonlight rings forged with his blood being activated to keep the wearer from turning, weakening him and I turned looking out at the full moon before I left my room and started walking towards the sound of their voices. "Tonight, we just have to plant the right seeds and for that, we need help"
"You have mine" I spoke up walking into the room crossing my arms seeing Klaus look up at me before he smiled nodding his head before we begin to lay out our plan of attack against the Guerreras, tonight...no more waiting.
"We're taking the twelve original rings, now four of them sit on the hands of the Guerrera brothers, one on Oliver, one on Francesca, three with the home security detail and the rest scattered amongst her lackeys, now each ring is distinguishable by its setting, gauche like those that wear them"
"If they believe they can get their hands on the stake they will come for me when I am weak, each ring you retrieve will strengthen me, but I will still at a disadvantage" Klaus adds leaning forward in his seat.
"Ergo, any hope of our success depends entirely upon our working together" Elijah agrees turning to look at me. "The two of you can no longer afford to retreat to separate corners and hide behind your...distractions" I frown and look over at Klaus, who sighs and stands up looking at me.
"This is our fight, are you ready for battle Hadley?" he asks me and I lean forward with my hands on the table.
"Just promise me that Francesca doesn't come out of this alive" I looked him directly in the eyes watching him smile weakly.
"Her head will be delivered to you on a silver platter, little wolf" he nods making me smile back at him.
"I'll deal with the last piece of the puzzle" Elijah nods turning and walking out of the room leaving Klaus and I alone, I looked back down before I heard Klaus let out another sigh and sank back into his chair wincing in pain of another ring drawing his strength.
"Klaus" I moved towards him and placed my hand on his shoulder. "You'll never feel this pain after tonight, I promise you" I squeezed his shoulder sucking in a deep breathe. "You should get upstairs" I reached for his hand to help him stand but he snatched his hand away.
"I can do it myself" he insisted making me frown as he tried to stand but I could tell he was being weakened but Klaus was stubborn as he was stupid sometimes and after watching him struggle I rolled my eyes and moved forward grabbing his arm and putting it around my shoulders ignoring his glare.
"Just shut up and deal with my help" I scolded him before he even said anything as I helped him up the stairs and into his art room sitting him down on the couch before I stepped back looking out the balcony windows seeing the moon getting higher. "Stay here, let us deal with this" I turned and headed for the door.
"Thank you Hadley" I heard him say making me smile just a little before I headed out to await the inevitable attack and the Guerreras were predictable as they were stupid as I watch many of the Guerrera werewolves including Oliver invade the compound from my hiding place,
They quickly split up undoubtedly looking for Klaus and I see two of the werewolves head for one of the staircases so I vamp-speed toward them and snaps both of their necks instantly before they even get up on step then kneel down and slips each of their rings off of their fingers pocketing them for now but just finished removing the rings I look up and notice more wolves behind me, I tenses weighing up my odds as its five against one but I feel anger take control once I notice a moonlight ring, one forged with Klaus's blood on the finger of one of the female security guards.
"Have I mentioned that I've had a rotten couple of months?" I spit towards them letting my face vamp out showing off my new hybrid face before I lunge forward, where dare I say easily taking out the female and removed her ring followed by the rest of them which just leaves Oliver who is walking right towards me so I step out into his way and his eyes show his shock before I violently start lashing out hitting him multiple times before slamming him against the wall. "You think you're strong because of that ring you wear, you're nothing, we were strong, we were part of a pack and you ruined it" I grabbed his hand and pulled the ring off his finger holding it up in front of his face. "If I see you with one of these again, I will kill you myself" I shoved against the wall purposely hitting his head just hard enough to knock him out before I strolled out of the compound.
Francesca is fleeing, I trust you'll handle this – Elijah, I read after I'd heard my phone go off and glared down at it since she was not getting away meaning I waste no time to cut her off before she can get away and used my new vampire speed to my advantage.
I saw her car speeding down the road so I stepped out in front of it making sure she saw me and hit the brakes before I sped out of sight watching from the shadows as she frantically looked around trying to spot me and that's when I struck.
Once finished I returned to the compound and looked in the mirror of my bathroom, shocked to see my reflection...the blood running down the sides of my lips because it was horrific...I had killed someone...so many people...I was a monster, I felt the tears running down my face as I wiped my mouth clean before backing out of the bathroom then turned towards the nursery and felt a whole new type of rage since I had killed Francesca but it gave me nothing, Hope was still gone and I don't know why I thought killing her was the answer...
"Hey Hadley, please!" I hear Klaus yell out and he tries to grab my arms but I knock his hands away and back away from him, my eyes adjusting as I snapped out of the rage fit I had clearly given into as I looked down at the crib and saw it mostly destroyed and felt more tears build up in my eyes before the atrocity of what I did tonight came back and the reason why I'd lost control.
"I killed her" I told him while a flashback to me killing Francesca by biting her neck and feeding on her to death came back to me as I looked up at him. "Francesca looked me in the eye and begged me for her life as I tore her apart but I don't feel better!" I yelled feeling my emotions spiraling. "I don't feel peace! I don't feel anything!"
"It's perfectly natural given what you're experiencing–"
"Nothing about what I am Klaus, is natural!" I yelled cutting him off.
"As a hybrid, you will begin to experience feelings with a greater intensity, it will take time to master control" he argues clearly trying to calm me down.
"I don't want to live like this Klaus, I hate it!" I protested shaking my head feeling the tears slipping out. "When I was living with the Hayley and Crescents in the Bayou, I finally understood the...purity of being a wolf...the nobility...I killed eight wolves tonight before I got to Francesca, eight of my own people, what's noble about that I acted no better than a...
"...than a vampire?" he answered as I trailed off and I looked up at him letting the tears go, not caring how weak I probably looked right now but he was right, I acted like a vampire and all I can think about right now is how much that disgusts me.
"Everything has changed...I was a mother and now I'm a monster"
"I still see you Hadley" he argues looking at me with actual sympathy to which I just shook my head at.
"Things are different now, you can't tell me that they're not" I argued back then waited for him to say something but he remains silent so I turn on my heel and leave the room since there was nothing for me in that nursery, my daughter was still gone and although Klaus and I had admitted that we loved each other in our grief, we weren't anything...we were nothing but two grieving people who shouldn't try to force something that isn't there.
Third Person's POV
"Could you not just take a sledgehammer to them?" Klaus protests the next morning as he and Elijah are destroying the stones forged with his blood.
"These were forged by a witch brother and as such, only the elements of fire and water can destroy them" Elijah argues rolling up his sleeves and gathers a pitcher of water and a stone bowl with burning charcoal in it. "I'd have thought this would have brought you greater pleasure"
"As would I" Klaus replies in a depressed tone, last night's events with Hadley playing over in his mind. "This was my fault, all of it" he adds looking up at Elijah who looks at him in surprise. "If I had just accepted Hadley's pregnancy instead of...playing king...I should have listened to you, instead my greed and my envy robbed me of my daughter, robbed Hadley of her innocence, my actions led to the release of the weapon that can kill not just me but you"
"In a thousand years, I've survived your attempts to destroy me brother" Elijah replies smiling a little before he gathers up the stones and drops them in the bowl with the burning charcoal. "I imagine I can survive this"
"You chase my redemption, like a man rolling a stone up an endless mountain" Klaus protests while Elijah picks up the pitcher and pours it over the stones and charcoal successfully destroying them.
"Well no mountain is endless brother, some are just steeper than others" Elijah states having a double meaning to his words as he had heard the fight between his brother and the woman that he's sure Klaus loves while Klaus stares in the bowl where the stones have broken apart, revealing small drops of Klaus' blood and that's when he knows he has to press his brother to keep fighting for Hadley, as she is a part of the key to his humanity, in which Elijah has been trying to bring out in his brother for the past thousand years. "You have to comfort Hadley brother, I believe that only you can understand her grief"
"We lost our child...I mean what could I possibly say to ease her pain?" Klaus asks him.
"Whatever she needs to hear" Elijah replies placing a comforting hand on Klaus' shoulder before walking away leaving his brother to find Hadley.
Hadley's POV
I had been sitting in one of the many sitting rooms in this place avoiding my room and the mess and I had left in the nursery as I tried to deal with everything, all that happened last night when Klaus had come up from destroying the stones with Elijah and sat down on the coffee table, not saying a word for the past five minutes.
"It will get better" he finally said and I frowned.
"When?" I asked him avoiding actually looking at him. "I'm immortal now, if I can't get through today how am I supposed to get through forever?" Klaus sighs and hesitates his reply.
"You know over the years I've had my share of friends, enemies, lovers..." I made a face at that since I didn't want to hear that. "...losses and triumphs, with time they all begin to run together but you will find that the real moments are vibrant, the rest just fades away" I finally turned and looked at him. "Your pain will fade" I deepened my frown as I shook my head.
"Not until I can hold my baby in my arms again"
"And so you shall but in order to do that we need to regain control of the city" I rolled my eyes since that worked so well for us the first time. "Now we worked separately to unite those wolves we can work together to do it again, they don't need to be our enemies"
"After ambushing them, they're not going to want to be our friends, Klaus" I protested.
"You waged a just war on those who would harm your child, not only will they respect you they will answer to you!"
"Why would they do that now?" I argued
"Because you're their queen" he replied and I gave him a look since I was no queen.
"What about all our other enemies, the witches don't stop even after they're dead?" I asked since they were the real enemies in my opinion, they were the real threat.
"We defeated my mother and her witches because we stood united" he says as he gets up to sit next to me on the couch. "That is how we will face all our enemies, as a family" he insists as he takes my hand in his and squeezes it comfortingly making me smile a little watching him smile back before I sighed and moved so I was right next to him and laid my head on his shoulder just feeling the need to seek comfort right now, after everything we've been through I think we both needed this.